Chapter 71: 70. He Yong's Persistence (Second Update)

"Brother Zhang, how are you...?" After the initial surprise, He Yong was filled with confusion. He knew the situation back then, so why had Zhang Ran suddenly appeared now?

Zhang Ran smiled and said, "Things are a bit complicated. I'll explain it to you in detail later. Who is this?"

As he spoke, he looked at He Qing. Zhang Ran had actually guessed He Qing's identity, but he still needed to ask.

"Xiao Qing, call him Uncle Zhang. Brother Zhang, this is my daughter, He Qing," He Yong hurriedly introduced.

He Qing looked at this person who seemed only a few years older than her and didn't know how to open her mouth for a moment. Why did her father call this man "Brother Zhang"? And it looked like they had known each other even before her father went inside.

"Un... Uncle Zhang," He Qing finally called out.

"Hey, this is a little gift from your uncle." Zhang Ran pulled an envelope from his person. Before coming, he had guessed that He Yong might have a son or daughter, so he had prepared it in advance.

It wasn't much, ten thousand yuan.

He Qing looked at He Yong, feeling a bit at a loss; it was a subconscious reaction. He Yong smiled and said, "Since Brother Zhang is giving it to you, just accept it."

Hearing He Yong's words, He Qing hesitated for a moment, took the envelope with both hands, and said in a low voice, "Thank you, Uncle Zhang."

"Let's go, get in the car." Zhang Ran smiled and gestured for the two to get in.

Once in the car, He Yong couldn't wait to ask, "Brother Zhang, what exactly happened? Didn't you... back then..."

Zhang Ran said, "The matter is actually simple. Xiao Qing should know a little about it too."

He Qing was a bit bewildered. This was her first time meeting Zhang Ran; what could she possibly know?

Seeing her confused expression, Zhang Ran smiled and said, "Don't you remember what cruise ship I was on back then?"

"I know, the Goddess of Destiny. I waited for you at the pier for a long time back then, and I even specifically hired people to go to that sea area, but we didn't find anything," He Yong said.

Upon hearing "Goddess of Destiny," He Qing immediately reacted. She said with undisguised surprise, "The Goddess of Destiny?"

"Xiao Qing, you know about it?" He Yong asked immediately.

There was no need for Zhang Ran to say anything; He Qing recounted the whole story from beginning to end. He Yong was stunned for a long while after hearing it before he finally reacted.

Once he regained his composure, he found that Zhang Ran had brought him to a large shopping mall. Looking at the modern decor here, He Yong was stunned again. He had been inside for nearly eighteen years, and the rapid changes in the outside world left him feeling dazed for a moment.

"Let's go, let's get you some new clothes," Zhang Ran said.

He Yong didn't stand on ceremony with Zhang Ran and followed behind him, but when Zhang Ran wanted to buy clothes for He Qing, he was refused by her.

No matter how Zhang Ran tried to persuade her, it was useless, and he finally had to give up.

It is fast for a man to buy clothes; in about fifteen minutes, He Yong came out having changed into a new outfit.

"How is it? Do you want me to send you back?" Zhang Ran said.

Hearing Zhang Ran's words, He Yong was silent for a moment. He understood the meaning behind Zhang Ran's words; this was a choice Zhang Ran was giving him.

Zhang Ran's main purpose in coming to pick up He Yong this time was actually to see this old friend, though of course, he also had the idea of having He Yong follow him again.

There weren't many people Zhang Ran could truly trust to use now. Although twenty-eight years had passed since He Yong's time, he had spent eighteen of those years in prison, and Zhang Ran was actually still willing to believe in him.

Of course, if He Yong wanted a stable and peaceful life, Zhang Ran wouldn't force him. He would still give He Yong some money to fulfill the friendship of the past.

He Yong looked at He Qing, then suddenly smiled, "Then I'll trouble you, Brother Zhang."

Zhang Ran was a bit surprised that he had made a decision so quickly. "You don't have to rush; think it through before you decide."

"Haha, Brother Zhang, let's put it this way: besides you, who would want me now? And I know you're doing this to help me," He Yong said with a smile.

Seeing He Yong's firm gaze, Zhang Ran didn't say anything more and drove toward He Yong's home. He knew where He Yong's hometown was.

One of the reasons Zhang Ran trusted He Yong so much back then was that he knew all of He Yong's background—where his hometown was, how many people were in his family, and what they looked like; Zhang Ran knew it all clearly.

This was also because He Yong had taken the initiative to tell Zhang Ran and had brought him back to his hometown, which happened after He Yong learned of Zhang Ran's mysterious methods.

Moreover, in the environment of that time, He Yong had essentially entrusted his entire life to Zhang Ran. Under such circumstances, unless He Yong was a cold-blooded and heartless person, he was truly loyal to Zhang Ran, and Zhang Ran believed in the latter.

He Qing couldn't understand the subtext in the conversation between Zhang Ran and He Yong; she just looked at Zhang Ran with curious eyes.

"Tell me, how did you end up in such a miserable state? Why didn't you look for Meng He and the others back then? I believe that no matter what, Meng He and those people would have taken care of you," Zhang Ran said while sitting in the passenger seat.

At this moment, He Yong subconsciously took on the role of the driver, just like in the old days.

He Yong said, "After you had your accident back then, I received a message telling me to leave Shanghai and go into hiding. I don't know who sent it even now, but I have some guesses."

"Then I discovered that a month after your accident was confirmed, Huzi and the others all disappeared for a period of time. I know who sought them out, and I know what those people were worried about.

I also know that as long as they couldn't find me, those people would never truly be at ease. Hehe, I just wanted to make them live in unease," He Yong said, chuckling at the end.

Back then, He Yong was Zhang Ran's personal bodyguard and knew the most about Zhang Ran's affairs. If anyone was most likely to understand Zhang Ran's mysterious methods, it was none other than He Yong.

Huzi and the others were also Zhang Ran's bodyguards back then, but they weren't as trusted by Zhang Ran as He Yong.

Zhang Ran nodded after listening and didn't ask any further. Although He Yong had only said a little, Zhang Ran could completely understand He Yong's intentions.

Zhang Ran believed that if He Yong had gone to those people and told them everything he knew, the benefits he could have received would certainly not have been small.

But He Yong didn't go, and he hadn't wavered even after being in prison for so many years. If He Yong had been willing, as long as he spoke up, those people would certainly have been willing to help him reduce his sentence or even get medical parole.

This was enough to prove that He Yong had truly never thought of betraying Zhang Ran; this point was completely sufficient.

"Then how did you end up inside? Don't tell me you really got involved in organized crime; that's not your style," Zhang Ran said.

He Yong was silent for a moment, subconsciously looked at He Qing through the rearview mirror, and finally sighed, "Brother Zhang, my situation is more complicated. When there's time, I'll tell you slowly."

Zhang Ran also saw He Yong's small gesture and knew that this matter probably had something to do with He Qing, so he didn't ask further and just talked to He Yong about other things.

As for He Qing, she was completely confused, but she did understand one thing: her father didn't seem to be as simple as she had heard—just a hoodlum.

At the same time, she now knew Zhang Ran's identity: her father's boss.

He Qing's grandparents had often spoken to her about He Yong's boss, always saying that if Boss Zhang were around, He Yong wouldn't have ended up in such a state.

How much their family had been taken care of by Boss Zhang back then, and so on and so forth.

At first, He Qing hadn't understood, but through the conversation between Zhang Ran and He Yong just now, she had figured it out.